What Android Needs to Beat the iPhone

By Andrew Min

When Google filed their Android patent in September 2007, the hype was almost as high as the hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone. Native apps, any phone, any carrier, and open source sounded pretty dang good. But then, Google started losing its jump. Apple picked up speed, added 3rd party native apps, and brought down the price. Meanwhile, Google twiddled their thumbs and announced a few developer contests. Soon, the iPhone was achieveing popularity next to the iPod. And Android? The only ones who remembered it were the Google diehards, a few programming geeks, and the guys at the Buzz Out Loud podcast. Recently, the hype has been picking up, especially since the Android might actually be shipping soon (or, by the time you read this, already been shipped). But Android will still be second-best to the iPhone, unless Google makes some significant steps.

Step 1: Bring up the Hype Again by Shipping the Dang Thing (and Shipping it Well)

The main reason the hype died was that Google never shipped anything. There were a few prototypes and demos, but YouTube videos don’t compare to actually having the phone in your hands. By contrast, Apple managed to keep the hype up by not announcing anything until they were close to shipping it. To get its hype up, Google needs to start shipping models. The HTC-made T-Mobile-supported Dreamphone will start shipping soon. But Google needs more than just the Dreamphone to get its hype back up. Google needs to start working with all the carriers and all the manufacturers. Why didn’t they incorporate Android into their recent Verizon deal? Why haven’t we heard a thing about AT&T since April? And heck, why stop at mobile phones? Why not make Android work on all mobile platforms? Start with the Nokia n810 and other OMAP devices. Hackers have already ported it, for crying out loud. It’s not that hard to tidy up the code, slap a logo on it, and release a binary.

Step 2: Use the Wow Factor for Both Hardware and Software

Half of the appeal of the iPhone is that the hardware is so great. The iPhone pioneered the concept of an elegant finger-based touchscreen. The Android needs to do more than just match it with another touchscreen.

Software is also crucial. Sliding to scroll, pinching to zoom, and all the other touch-based operations of the iPhone seem standard now. The Android definitely needs something at least equivelant to that. But it also needs to go above and beyond the iPhone basics. Copying the competition never brings a “wow” product. The only way for a copycat to suceed is to use questionable marketing tricks, as with Internet Explorer and Microsoft. But if you stay legal, you’ve got very little chance. Heck, look at today’s iPhone clone market. How many of them have taken off? None. The Android needs to wow the crowds. Add in amazing touch gestures that no one has ever thought of. Create an awe-inspiring operating system has the power of Windows Mobile and the ease-of-use/non-clunkyness of the iPhone.

Step 3: Get 3rd Party Devs

The iPhone was adopted immediately. But not because it was a great phone. It was, but the main reason that drove the iPhone adoption, especially for the 3G, was the apps available. There are thousands of software programs in the iPhone App Store, many of which take advantage of the iPhone’s hardware to make revolutionary new apps. Android needs a huge app market to get sales numbers up. According to their blog, they are. Google’s also been very smart in that they’ve been rewarding programmers with their $10 million Android Developer Challenge. The challenge has already been a success, producing such applications as Jeffrey Sharkey’s barcode scanner, Jose Fernandez’s iris authentication wallet, Robert Mickle’s finger painting app, Eric Wijngaard’s innovative image editor, Stephen Oldmeadow’s music composition program, and Tunewiki Inc.’s cool music player. But if you look at the full list of apps from the first round, you’ll notice that most are created by individuals. That’s great, and I’m a huge supporter of the free software movement. Despite this, Google needs to start getting commercial developers and companies into the mix. Commercial companies are able to put more time, effort, and manpower into applications, something that an employed programmer with a day job just can’t do.

Conclusion

Google’s really lost a lot of ground to the iPhone. In order to make it up, they need to act fast, but not forget the quality of their software.